As the Internet has grown into a vital service for Americans from coast to coast, a number of important issues have come up regarding the operation and management of the networks that comprise it. Chief among these issues is a concept called “net neutrality.” Generally speaking, net neutrality refers to the idea that all Internet service providers should treat all traffic equally, regardless of the content involved or its origin.
It’s a topic that has been very much in the news lately as current FCC chairman Ajit Pai had called for a vote on December 14th to repeal the agency’s current net neutrality regulations. Then-existing rules had only existed since 2015, after a contentious period of debate and a three to two vote among the FCC commissioners. The current chairman was one of the commissioners involved in that vote and was against it at the time.
The Heart of the Issue
Put simply, the FCC is about to make a decision over who, if anyone, will control the future of the Internet. There are two distinct sides to the argument, each holding views that put them at odds with one another. Those that argue in favor of net neutrality regulations believe that Internet providers shouldn’t be allowed to give preferential treatment to the traffic of their choosing, as it would harm competition and innovation online. Those opposed to the regulations claim that the restrictions are unnecessary and harmful to investments in Internet infrastructure. As a guide, here are the specifics of each position, and who favors them.
Pro Net Neutrality
The vast majority of Internet content providers favor net neutrality regulations. This includes companies such as Google, Netflix, Hulu, and Facebook. An examination also revealed that 97% of the confirmed public comments to the FCC were in favor of the 2015 regulations remaining in place.
They argue that Internet service providers would view deregulation as a tacit approval of practices like demanding fees from content providers in exchange for priority access to customers. The effect of such schemes would be twofold. First, content providers would likely pass the increased costs on to consumers, rather than simply absorb them. Second, new competition would become impossible, as startup ventures would be unable to afford the fees required to compete effectively. There are also fears that a repeal of the rules would allow providers to block content arbitrarily, either to aid sites they owned or to punish those unwilling to pay.
Against Net Neutrality
Most of the telecommunications industry is in favor of repealing net neutrality regulations. Companies such as Verizon and AT&T and trade groups like the Telecommunications Industry Association have lobbied the FCC to roll back the existing rules. They argue that the regulations are excessively burdensome and that they are discouraging infrastructure investments. In essence, they claim that the regulations shift the burden of rapidly expanding Internet traffic to service providers, while content companies reap all of the benefits of the growth.
Additionally, they claim that the rules are based upon authority granted to the FCC based upon the Communications Act of 1934, which they argue was written only to govern the telephone monopolies of the time. Their argument insists that competition guarantees that providers won’t engage in the kind of anticompetitive actions that many fear and that free market principles are all that should be required.
Time Will Tell
No matter which side of the debate you happen to agree with, we won’t know the true ramifications of repealing net neutrality for several years. It’s also possible that there will be another reversal in the future, depending on the political climate of the day. It is worth noting that while there isn’t any overwhelming data to definitively prove either argument, the 2015 regulations were, in fact, created partially as a response to Comcast interfering with traffic and AT&T blocking services. However, the unregulated Internet has done amazingly well without neutrality.
The Internet service providers aren’t alone though. Netflix also engaged in the same type of practice, so neither side really holds the moral high ground in the debate. No matter how the current argument is settled, it will be up to customers to decide who they will trust to control their Internet experience in the only way they can; by voting with their wallets.